Whether you’re already knee-deep in young adult literature
or looking to reacquaint yourself with an old favorite, the Bitch
Media Community Lending Library has got you covered. We’ve
put together a whopping 100 of our favorite young adult novels,
featuring kick-ass teens and inspiring feminist themes. These
stories will empower teenage and adult readers alike.
1. Estrella’s Quinceañera by Malin Alegria
2. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
3. Choir Boy by Charlie Anders
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
6. Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
7. The Rhyming Season by Edward Averett
8. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
9. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
10. Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block
11. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
12. Forever by Judy Blume
13. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
14. Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers
15. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
16. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
17. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castelluci and Jim Rugg
18. This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers
19. Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone
20. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
21. Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP
22. Celine by Brock Cole
23. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
24. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
25. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
26. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
27. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
28. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
29. For the Win by Cory Doctorow
30. Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
31. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
32. El Lector by William Durbin
33. The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
34. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
35. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
36. Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
37. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
38. The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden
39. Sticks and Stones by Beth Goobie
40. Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley
41. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
42. It’s Not What You Expect by Norma Klein
43. Uncommon Faith by Trudy Krisher
44. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
45. Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
46. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
47. Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby
48. White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages
49. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
50. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle
51. Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
52. Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin
53. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
54. Gravity by Leanne Lieberman
55. Ash by Malinda Lo
56. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
57. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
58. Sold by Patricia McCormick
59. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
60. Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay
61. The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
62. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
63. Night Flying by Rita Murphy
64. Revenge by Taslima Nasrin
65. A Step from Heaven by An Na
66. Skip Beat! By Yosiki Nakamura
67. Simply Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
68. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
69. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
70. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
71. Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
72. Luna by Julie Anne Peters
73. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
74. Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
75. What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
76. Imani All Mine by Connie Rose Porter
77. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
78. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
79. Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar
80. The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds
81. Flygirl by Sherri Smith
82. Lucy the Giant by Sherri Smith
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
I know so many feminists who went through spy phases as kids, and we
were all emulating Harriet. Harriet wants to be a writer, so she spies on
her neighbors and writes all of her observations in her notebooks. She’s
a tomboy and a bit of an outcast, a little mean but absolutely lovable. I
read Harriet the Spy 17 times in 3rd grade, and I still think about Harriet
when I write. – Lindsay Baltus
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The political, religious, class, and racial tensions in this story are accessible to readers of all ages, and ring scary-true today. Pullman expects
a lot of his audience, which is the best formula for making confident,
lifelong readers. Lyra, the main character in the trilogy, is clever, witty,
rebellious, and she more than holds her own with much older, scarier
characters. Not one page of His Dark Materials is flippant or derogatory; there’s far too much world-saving to be done for any of that
nonsense! –Katie Presley
Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
Tali and Octavia’s parents force them to accompany their grandma on
a summer road trip. The girls are annoyed, but they make a deal with
their grandma not to wear any headphones as long as she doesn’t
smoke. The headphones thing works out in everyone’s favor, as it gives
the girls an opportunity to listen to their grandma tell stories from her
childhood of domestic service and from her time in the African-Ameri-
83. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
84. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
85. Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
86. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
87. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
88. Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt
89. Cress Delahanty by Jessamyn West
90. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
91. When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune by Lori Aurelia Williams
92. Blue Tights by Rita Williams-Garcia
93. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
94. Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
95. Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
96. The House You Pass on the Way by Jaqueline Woodson
97. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
98. When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright
99. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
100. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
can regiment of the Women’s Army Corps. The girls undergo a powerful
transformation while road-tripping as they begin to see their grandma
as a person and come to understand the outstanding experiences that
shaped her life. – Ashley McAllister
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Karana lives alone on an island for eighteen years after jumping from
a rescue ship. She learns to make her clothes, forage for her food,
and look out for herself. As an 8-year-old, this book made me feel like
I could do anything. When I learned years later that many people
consider girls to be fragile and incapable, I knew better because of this
book. – Emily McNulty Scripter
The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds
Kenny, a 17-year-old living in Virginia, is haunted by gendered bathrooms, not belonging, and the girl from out of town who was accidentally killed next door. I have never been so employed by a young adult
character’s attempts to grapple with gender and sexual identity. Reynolds has crafted a complicated and lyrical coming-of-age story that you
won’t soon forget. – AM
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Set in the 19th century, 13-year old Charlotte Doyle finds herself the
only passenger on a ship headed to Rhode Island. Mayhem ensues,
and she rises to every challenge, journaling all the way. This book is full
of excitement, provides an excellent story of a girl coming of age and
standing up for herself, and makes a great read for seafaring feminists
of all ages. –Kelsey Wallace
www.bitchmedia.org/library